Seasonal plasticity of structure and function is a fundamental feature of nervous systems in a
wide variety of animals that occupy seasonal environments. Excellent examples of seasonal …

About 10 years ago, a sexually differentiated nucleus was identified in the preoptic area
(POA) of the Japanese quail in the course of studies analyzing the dimorphic mechanisms …

Animals evaluate and respond to their social environment with adaptive decisions.
Revealing the neural mechanisms of such decisions is a major goal in biology. We analyzed …

The standard nomenclature that has been used for many telencephalic and related
brainstem structures in birds is based on flawed assumptions of homology to mammals. In …

The voices of birds have always been a source of fascination. Nature's Music brings together
some of the world's experts on birdsong, to review the advances that have taken place in our …

The US Congress has passed legislation requiring the US Environmental Protection Agency
(US EPA) to develop, validate, and implement screening tests for identifying potential …

New neurons are incorporated into the high vocal center (HVC), a nucleus of the adult
canary (Serinus canaria) brain that plays a critical role in the acquisition and production of …

It is currently accepted that most sex differences in brain and behavior do not result from
direct genomic actions, but develop following early exposure to a sexually differentiated …

Seasonal changes in the brain of songbirds are one of the most dramatic examples of
naturally occuring neuroplasticity that have been described in any vertebrate species. In …

Androgens and estrogens are crucial for the differentiation and function of the vocal control
system of songbirds. A major source of estrogens in songbirds is the cerebral aromatization …